By Jonathan Mills | AHL Rhythm
Dating back to when he first laced up his skates while growing up in Riga, Latvia, Edwards Tramack Always wanted to play hockey at the highest level of the sport.
So Tralmaks chases this dream around the world. He signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Detroit Red Wings last March and now comes to Michigan State with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
“I’ve been fighting my whole life for the opportunity to play in the NHL,” Tramax said. Tramax became the Czech Super League scoring leader with 51 points in 48 games for Kladno in the 2024-25 season. “After last year, I thought I had the best season of my life. My next step was to try again. Detroit was one of the organizations that I talked to and felt like a place that I could develop. Obviously, Grand Rapids was a big push as well because it’s a great city with great fans and a great arena.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to play at least one game in the NHL.”
Tramax said his performance last season was a continuation of his progress in 2023-24, when he scored 32 points in 52 regular-season games. After two seasons in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, he returned to Europe.
“I feel a lot different this season,” Tramax, 28, said. “I’m more confident in my shot and feel like everything is coming together. I think that was my breakout year. Some people might say it’s a little too late because of my age, but it doesn’t matter. If you look at Latvians who have had success in the NHL, there are a lot of guys who are examples of that. Even though I’m at this point in my career at my age, you still have a chance.
“The biggest thing is confidence. Once you get going and be one of those guys that the coach trusts to put out there in those big moments, it helps everything.”
Tramack had 82 points in 119 games over four seasons at UMaine before scoring 41 points in 87 games for Providence. He also played junior hockey with the Chicago Steel in 2016-17, winning an American Hockey League championship and playoff MVP honors.
“My time at the University of Maine was a huge step in my career and probably the best time of my life inside and outside of hockey,” he said. “When I went there, the coaches helped me understand my role on the team. After the USHL, I saw myself as more of a skillset guy. I thought I was the kind of guy that would swing in and score good goals and give out assists. I can still do that, but the coaches told me that if I wanted to go far, I had to be more of a grinder while also playing the game I know I can do.”
Because of his experiences, especially when he first adjusted his game to North American ice, Tramax has developed into the player he is today. Tramax said that in his years of work, having a strong belief and self-confidence is an underrated component of the game that can “make ordinary players into great players and great players into superstars.”
“In my opinion, confidence is the only superpower a player can have,” Tramax said. “It’s really a superpower because when we’re confident, even in hockey or sports, it’s everywhere in life. When people have confidence, like in a sales job, they can sell anything. It’s the same in sports. When you have confidence, you can do things you never thought you could do.”
However, building and maintaining confidence is a mental battle, Tramax said, that can be won through the power of perseverance.
“The thing about having confidence is it’s so good when you have it and it’s really hard to get it when you don’t have it,” Tramax said. “You have to work for it. For some it helps when you do certain things in training, but ultimately, it starts with performing well in games or scoring goals. The coach’s confidence also plays a big role.”
Continuing to reflect on the winding journey so far, Tramax feels he has done a good job of holding himself accountable and understanding where his strengths ultimately lie.
“I may not be the prettiest player or have the best hands, but the way I want to position myself is to show that I’m the hardest worker,” Tramax said. “For example, there’s probably someone better than me at shooting. But when it comes to the puck in the corner, I’m up against everybody else, even the best player in the world, and that’s the battle I choose. That’s the type of hockey I want to play. I’m not going to have highlight-reel goals, but I’m going to make sure the puck goes into the net.”
Griffins head coach Dan Watson The 6-foot-4, 225-pound forward is a huge addition to the team.
“Before he signed with us last spring, everyone who played with him or knew him said what a great guy he was,” Watson said. “He keeps the room bright and is one of those guys who likes to have fun in the locker room. He’s a real team player and then on the ice he has a physical presence. A big guy who has no problem knowing how to get to the net. He has a good shot and is someone we need on the offensive end, but even his understanding of the defensive side of the game is improving. We need to have a strong physical presence up front and around the net and contribute to the offensive zone numbers we have right now.”
Tramax also talked about Grand Rapids’ strong chemistry, which he said has helped the club get off to an impressive start to the season.
“It definitely starts in the locker room,” Tramax said. “We spent a lot of time together before the first game. I came to Detroit two weeks before training camp, so I got to know a lot of people. Everyone was very humble and down to earth.”
Tramax said he has developed some close friendships at the club, particularly with netminder Michal Postava and forward Jakub Rehlovsky and Ondrej Becher – all
Who is Czech.
“We’re the closest people on the team,” Tramax said. “Even though I’m Latvian, they still treat me like a Czech. I understand their language, even though I can’t speak. We know what’s going on in Europe and that ties us together.”
Tramack, who always exudes positive energy, has high expectations for himself. He knew it would take more than his personality to get where he wanted to go.
“My job as a player is to dig the ball out, get it to my teammates, and when they give it to me, I shoot,” Tramax said. “I’m the guy that wants to be on the ice and compete. I want to show that I’m responsible. I want to keep hitting the ball and shooting the ball. I want to keep doing all that and proving to the coaches that I’m a player. I want them to know that I’m here to play and potentially earn more playing time or be in the starting lineup. I’m going to continue to do my best to be successful.”
According to Tramax, he considered hanging up his skates several times over the years. But in those moments, the striker remembers how far he has come and what he still wants to achieve.
“Sometimes when I get home after a tough game, I sit there and think to myself, ‘Why am I doing this? It’s just too hard to keep doing this,'” Tramax said. “If you look at my hockey career, everything I’ve done has been through dedication and hard work. There’s been a lot of ups and downs, probably more ups than downs. But the more you want it, I feel like the higher your odds of success are, the more likely you are to be successful. It just depends on me as a person.
“I want to set an example for Latvians and my family. I want to show my parents that I won’t give up and be some kind of inspiration to someone. If I look back on my career and I know I did my best, then when I’m done I can look at myself in the mirror and know that I’ve stayed true to myself.”
